Solid-state lighting devices have many uses in industrial applications. For example, in printer and coating applications, solid-state lighting devices are typically used to cure photo sensitive material such as coatings, including inks, adhesives, preservatives, etc. In these applications, the light curable material is dispensed/printed onto a surface via a dispensing/printing mechanism and the light output from solid-state lighting devices is directed towards the substrate or material to be cured with the aid of coupling optics. The coupling optics including rod lens, cylindrical lens, Fresnel lens or even flat glass, may be used to channel and focus the light onto the substrate. A photochemical reaction occurring between the incident light and the material cures or “dries” the material.
However, these applications using light to cure the materials face an issue. Any light that escapes/reflects/scatters from the surface of the applied material into the dispenser (e.g., ink dispensing apparatus), may prematurely cure the material in the dispenser before it is applied to the target. The inventors herein have recognized the potential issue of light reflecting back into the dispensing mechanism, and have engineered a way to at least partially address the issues discussed above.
In one example, the issue described above may be at least partially addressed by a frame for holding an optic element of a lighting system, comprising: a central, inner surface formed along a length of the frame and adapted to receive the optic element; first and second vertical sidewalls extending from a top surface to respective first and second bottom surfaces of the frame, the first and second bottom surfaces positioned below an exterior, bottom surface of the optic element when the optic element is mounted to the inner surface of the frame; and first and second angled surfaces, each angled from one of the first and second bottom surfaces and inward toward the inner surface. In this way, light reflecting off a workpiece and back toward the frame may be contained within the frame, thereby reducing light scattering to surrounding objects, including un-cured photo sensitive material in a dispensing system.
As one example, a baffle or beam block may be used to capture the light reflecting off the surface to be cured before it reaches the dispenser. The baffle may have long and flat sides extending along the frame holding the optics. Further still, the baffle may be coated with black anodized material to further absorb the reflected light. In this way, light reflected off the surface may be captured and absorbed by the baffle surrounding the coupling optics. In another example, the baffle may have additional grooves or rough textured surfaces to further scatter the reflected light. The grooves may trap the reflected light, thus reducing the light escaping into the surrounding medium. The baffle may be further integrated into the window frame of the light source itself, thus creating a compact package that can reduce light reflected back towards the lighting system.
The present disclosure may provide several advantages. In particular, the approach may offer a more consistent curing method of photo sensitive material. In addition, by reducing the amount of reflected light from a workpiece upon which curing light is directed, it may further reduce the curing of unapplied photo reactive material, thus reducing wastage and unwanted curing of the photosensitive material.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.